Sensei Andrew Jones

Andrew’s training began at the age of seven, back in later part of 1983, being encouraged by his older brother (Sensei Stephen), he joined the Se Sen Ryu karate class, at the Chadwell St Mary dojo. Originally instructed by Sempai Tony Phipps, then as he progressed through the grades, Sempai Will (Nobby) Clark, Sempai Peter Taylor, and later Sensei Ken Children and Peter Button (who returned to the class for a short time). The class was always demanding, and as a child it took a lot of dedication to commit, he remembers many delights of those early years such as bare foot jogging.

By the time Andrew reached first kyu in 1992, and the emphasis of Andrew's training had shifted becoming more technical. Due to the demands of further education Andrew’s training, had gradually by 1995 become intermittent, and moving to North Yorkshire, for university, brought it to a stop. Whilst at university Andrew tried a number of Karate, Taekwondo, and kickboxing classes, but was unable to find a class that suited.

Upon moving back to Essex in 1997, Andrew returned again intermittently to the Chadwell St Mary class, which in his absence had gone through a number of changes, it was now Zenshin do karate, Sensei Ken Children had left to pursue a different angle, leaving the class in the hands of Sensei Danny howard and Sensei Stephen Jones, and the lessons had taken on a more practical attitude, with the emphasis on the reliability and power of a sequence, not only its artistic or traditional form. As a result of the changes, a process of re-education began for Andrew, as he had to relearn a lot of the subtleties that the class had developed since its early days, but also a new and growing syllabus.

In 2001 Sensei Stephen introduced Andrew to the Fudoshin class in Grays, this gave him a later class that he could commit to regularly, through this he was able to train with Proffesor Jim McAllister, Sensei Gary Porley, Sensei Chee Chan and on occasion Soke Robert (Bob) Lawrence. In this class Andrew was able to study a number of other aspects, such as the Ju-jitsu, Kobudo weapons, and Kenjutsu.

With the enthusiastic return to regular training, came the need to progress, and as a result Andrew began to train regularly with the Sensei Danny, Sensei Stephen, and Sensei Mick of Zenshin do, for private sparring lessons, then gradually became involved in other classes and courses when the opportunities presented themselves, Which enabled him to train with Master Kam, Soke Tony Ball, Sensei Kevin King, and Sensei Steve Knight, along the way, as well as a great number of good students.

During these years Andrew trained towards the completion of his shodan, and the club returned to the original hall, Sensei Danny handing the class to Sensei Stephen, and the opening of additional lessons. Finally after many problems and injuries, in 2007, Andrew completed his shodan, Becoming the first under Sensei Stephen, and since the club returned to longhouse road.

Now Andrew is regularly instructing the junior students, which he find very rewarding, and is continuing to pollish his learning, as he is starting to realise that reaching shodan brings as many questions, as the previous twenty five years had answered. Long term goal is to study to further himself within Zenshin do, and to gain greater knowledge of other arts such as Kenjutsu, and Jujitsu, in order to become more rounded, but Karate will always remain his primary art.